Narrative Essay Writing

With Eram Rahman

There are 4 types of essays in paper 1 of the English language paper.Exposition-gives information about various topics to

the readerDescription-describes in detail characteristics and

traitsArgument-convinces the reader by demonstrating

the truth and falsity of a topicNarrative-tells a story from one persons viewpoint.

Types of Essay

A narrative essay is a kind of story which is told from the viewpoint of a specific person or people.

It is considered a relatively informal form of essay writing.

What is a Narrative Essay?

A narrative essay helps you tell a story using the elements ofPlot/SettingCharacterConflictClimaxResolution

Narrative Essay

The focus of a narrative essay is its plot, which can consist of a multitude of characteristics:

1) Chronology,2) Dialogue,3) An evident purpose, and4) Vivid descriptions.

The Basics of Narrative Essays

A narrative essay can be:

An event that is a part of your experience.An experience that occurred in the near past or

which is currently ongoing.An event that could have occurred in the life of

someone close.

Basics of Narrative Essays

A narrative essay consists of three basic parts:1. The Introduction2. The Main Body3. The Conclusion or Summary

But WAIT! Before beginning the essay, you should always MAP OUT the essay!

Now Let’s Get To Writing

Mapping It Out

It is essential to map out a narrative essay before beginning to write.

Why should you map it out?1. It allows you to be able to come up with a

comprehensive and effective structure.2. It prevents the essay from becoming disorganized or

cluttered as you write.

Decide A Plot. Choose a plot in regard to the topic provided to you. This plot can be from a personal experience and can be fictional as well. Map out specific details such as names and places as this will add authenticity to the essay.

Make A Timeline. It is heavily advised to make a chronology of events that you will write in your essay. This will allow you to have a strong, organized structure in your essay and prevent it from becoming irrelevant.

How To Map It Out

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For a 350 – 500 words essay, it should ideally have these five paragraphs:The Introductory ParagraphFirst Supporting ParagraphSecond Supporting ParagraphThird Supporting ParagraphClosing or Summary Paragraph

Essay topic-A Memorable Present

Introductory ParagraphGeneral Topic Sentence: memorable presentSubtopic One: the reason it was givenSubtopic Two: a description of itSubtopic Three: how you felt when you got it

First Supporting ParagraphRestate Subtopic OneSupporting Details or Examples

A Memorable Present

Second Supporting Paragraph Restate Subtopic Two Supporting Details or Examples

Third Supporting Paragraph Restate Subtopic Three Supporting Details or Examples

Closing or Summary Paragraph Synthesis and conclusion of the thesis

A Memorable Present

A narrative essay’s introduction has to catch the attention of the reader and this can be done in a few ways.

1. The Opening Statement:An essay’s opening statement is often on what a person judges an essay before even reading it. Thus, it is important to make an impact from the start.

This can be done by having a general statement at the start of the essay such as “It can be a great experience to learn something new.”

The Introduction

Write in the active voiceIt is advised to use the active voice in your essay’s introduction, as it is more powerful and is more likely to catch the reader’s attention.

Varying sentence structureDo NOT bore the reader in the introduction. Monotonous sentences often result in an uninteresting introduction, to which the reader will naturally assume that the entire essay was written in a similar fashion.

The Introduction

Each supporting paragraph must provide a continuity of ideas and expression.

It is the primary means through which the plot moves forward. Here are some basics when writing supporting paragraphs:

1. Write a transition to establish the sub-topicEach paragraph has to flow, one to the next.

2. Supporting ideas, examples and details must be specific to the sub-topic.Most people tend to add unnecessary and irrelevant details to supporting paragraphs. This is a MAJOR negative. Please avoid this.

The Supporting Paragraphs

Vary Sentence Structure.Do NOT be monotonous in your sentence structure. The examiner will be more interested in an essay with a varying sentence structure, rather than someone whose essay monotonously drags on.

“As I passed through the gates I heard a squeaky voice. A diminutive middle-aged man came out from behind the trees — the caretaker. He worked a toothbrush-sized stick around in his mouth, digging into the crevices between algae'd stubs of teeth. He was barefoot; he wore a blue batik shirt known as a buba, baggy purple trousers, and an embroidered skullcap. I asked him if he would show me around the shrine. Motioning me to follow, he spat out the results of his stick work and set off down the trail.”

The Supporting Paragraphs

The Ending, At Last?

WE’RE NOT DONE YET.

This is the most difficult paragraph to write in any narrative essay. Here are the points that must be in your concluding paragraph:

1. End the essay effectively, leaving no loose ends in your story. This is where a good structure comes in handy.

2. Be powerful. This is your last chance to make any sort of impact on the reader.

The Conclusion

Edit and Revise Your Essay1. Check your spelling and grammar. Check for

language and vocabulary mistakes, along with errors in tenses.

2. Examine your essay for flaws in the logic and plot. Be wary of loopholes and loose ends to your plot.

3. DO NOT EVER GIVE IN AN ESSAY WITHOUT GOING OVER IT AT LEAST TWICE.

After the Conclusion

Some Do’s and Don’tsDo’s in Your Essay Don’ts in Your Essay

Do use dialogues to make your writing more vivid and life-like. But avoid excessive use.

Don’t be afraid to be creative

Do give information in chronological order.

Don’t switch from past tense to present and vice versa; stick to one tense for the entire story.

Do use senses and emotions to set the scene for your story.

Don’t start writing your narrative essay before you decide on the ending for your story

Do enhance your writing with colorful stylistic literary techniques, like metaphors, epithets, distinguished comparisons, bright allegories and the like.

Don’t change the sequence of events – this will make it much harder for the reader to follow the plot.

Do include detailed descriptions of the places, people and buildings that are part of the story.

Don’t be afraid to include elements of descriptive writing in your narrative essay.

Switching from third person to first person or vice versa. Overuse of verbs, to the point where the main point of a

sentence is lost, due to excessive use of verbs. The misuse of metaphors, idioms and similes is a common

error made by many essay writers. If you’re not sure about a metaphor, play it safe and don’t use it.

Students often use flashbacks and flash forwards to help the story build to a climax. However these MUST be properly connected to the story for clarity.

Common Mistakes

“I am terrified of heights. I have this fear. It causes my legs to shake. I break out in a cold sweat. I start jabbering to anyone who is nearby. As thoughts of certain death run through my mind, the world appears a precious, treasured place. I imagine my own funeral, then shrink back at the implications of where my thoughts are taking me. My stomach feels strange. My palms are clammy. Of course, it’s not really a fear of being in a high place. Rather, it is the view of a long way to fall, of rocks far below me and no firm wall between me and the edge. My sense of security is screamingly absent. There are no guardrails, flimsy though I picture them, or other safety devices. I can rely only on my own surefootedness—or lack thereof.”

The ClimbA Good Introductory Paragraph

Our trip turned out to be a complete disaster. It all started early on a Saturday morning. Me and my friends met at 5 am to load up for our trip. It took us a long time to load all of our provisions, luggage and equipment that we were going to take with us on the trip. We had so much stuff that we hardly had room to cram it all in. Finally after all of this preparation we took off on our trip with high hopes that we would all have the great time we expected.

Unanswered Questions : Where did you go? How long

were you going for? What kind of trip was it? What did you take?

A Memorable TripA Poor Introductory Paragraph

Q) ‘There was rustling, a faint groaning in the distance, an icy air all around….’ Continue the story (although it does not have to be a complete one) In your writing, you should bring out a sense of tension and the unknown.

There was rustling, a faint groaning in the distance, an icy air all around and an

eerie darkness. The chill made her shiver and she fled back inside, slamming the door behind her. Before she could tell herself to calm down and sit down to a cup of tea, the lights flickered and died out. There was complete darkness now. She could still hear the groaning from outside and a light tap-tap on the eastern window nearly stopped her heart. Son, she thought, where are you?

Like a blind woman, she groped about in the darkness for the candle on the mantelpiece- remembering that her torch was out of battery- and sighed in relief when her shaking fingers found the matches. A moment later, a tiny flame was dancing on the wick. This small source of comfort seemed to give her both hope and spirit for she puffed herself up and yelled at no one in particular, considering that she was alone,

‘No silly urban legend’ll get the better of me! Hear that?’

Activity

Thank you for attending this presentation, and I hope this has been informative for you.

Any Questions?